Faculty & Staff

As a professional musician in the Bay Area, Jay has done and continues to do ensemble and solo work, directing, composing, teaching and concert production. Working with ensembles, she became the assistant director and lead soprano to Downbeat Magazine’s Best Collegiate Vocal Jazz Ensemble Vocal Flight for two consecutive years. Shortly thereafter, Jay sang lead soprano with two-award winning a cappella groups +4db and SoVoSo. In her solo work, Jay sang in the soundtrack of Joel Mendias’ short film “I” and was commissioned to write the De Anza College jingle that was broadcast in radio stations throughout the Bay Area. 

Working with numerous organizations, Jay sang in Opera San Jose's production of Carmen and served as the assistant conductor to Barbara Day Turner's San Jose Chamber Orchestra. While completing her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance with Erie Mills at San José State University, Jay studied choral conducting with Charlene Archibeque, DMA, where she was assistant conductor to the concert choir and the Choraliers. Awarded a scholarship by the Northern California Association of Kodály Educators, Jay completed Levels I and II Kodály training from Holy Names University. She also successfully completed all the training sessions from The Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah University. And finally, Jay completed a Master of Arts in Music Education at San José State University. 

As an educator, Jay served as a fellow with the California Music Project, assisting music teachers in low-income schools. Working with the Alum Rock Jazz Band, her students were chosen by the Oakland Raiders organization to perform the national anthem. Jay also worked with Vivace Youth Chorus as an Associate Conductor where she directed their Adagio, Andante and A Cappella ensembles. 

As an active member of the Bay Area arts community, Jay served as the president of the Silicon Valley Arts Coalition and artistic director and founder of the Foothill Community Concert Series. Currently, Jay teaches music at Basis Independent Silicon Valley and De Anza College, and is the director of music at First Congregational Church of San Jose, where she and her team host the Concerts on the Corner Concert Series.

Mia Wang is a Taiwanese violinist, educator, and published author. She holds a Master of Music in Violin Performance from Northwestern University, where she studied under Professor Gerardo Ribeiro as a recipient of the Eckstein Full Scholarship.

An internationally active performer, Mia has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across the United States, Europe, and Asia, performing at prestigious venues including the National Taichung Theater. She previously served as Concertmaster of the Taichung City Symphony Orchestra and has collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles.

Beyond the concert stage, Mia has been featured in numerous Taiwanese television programs and media interviews. She is also the founder of Rhapsody Ensemble, a California-based ensemble that brings together musicians from diverse professional backgrounds in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Mia currently serves as an Applied Music Instructor at De Anza College, where she shares her international performing experience and passion for music education with the next generation of musicians.

Michael Webster is a performing artist based in San José, California. He began studying music at a young age, joining the band program at Noddin Elementary on alto saxophone. As he continued his music education in the K-12 system, he fell in love with Jazz, especially with the music of tenor saxophonists John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and Lester Young.

He went on to pursue his undergraduate degree in Jazz Studies at San José State University, studying Jazz composition with Grammy Nominated composer/arranger Aaron Lington. While pursuing his masters, his portfolio expanded to include music for wind band, jazz big band and combo. As an admirer of electronic music,

Michael has also drawn from the music of Daft Punk and, more recently, Aphex Twin for inspiration.